WWE has operated in the Middle East for nearly 20 years and has developed a sizable and dedicated fan base. Considering the heinous crime committed at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, the Company faced a very difficult decision as it relates to its event scheduled for November 2 in Riyadh. Similar to other U.S.-based companies who plan to continue operations in Saudi Arabia, the Company has decided to uphold its contractual obligations to the General Sports Authority and stage the event. Full year 2018 guidance is predicated on the staging of the Riyadh event as scheduled.

Though WWE soldiered through its first wave of criticism leading up to the Greatest Royal Rumble, the stars aligned for its latest round of backlash to be too glaring to ignore amid a scandal that has garnered worldwide attention.

It was only a matter of time before WWE's troubling fraternization with the Kingdom fell into the crosshairs of concerned politicians. Right on cue, the floodgates flew open, as high-profile United States Senators Chris Murphy (D—Conn.), Lindsey Graham (R—S.C.), Richard Blumenthal (D—Conn.) and Bob Menendez (D—N.J.) took turns condemning WWE's planned event with Saudi Arabia.

Always the master of non-coincidences and PR wizardry, WWE has tried its best to circumnavigate public criticism for its palpably unsettling relationship with Saudi Arabia. Knox County Mayor and headliner Kane teamed up with the promotion to proactively (and transparently) donate $100,000 to the Knoxville Public Safety Foundation for Kane's WWE appearances that would take him away from his post.

Last month, WWE spent several on-air segments to raise awareness for its noble efforts toward its Connor's Cure charity. On the September 24 broadcast of Raw, WWE teamed up with Hyundai, which donated $200,000 to the cause. WWE continued its admirable efforts this past Monday on Raw during a segment led by Titus O'Neil to honor breast cancer survivors as part of WWE's long-running partnership with Susan G. Komen.

The philanthropy is undeniably heartwarming. But to a skeptic, the timing is suspicious.

In a possible effort to help combat the blowback for not allowing women to perform in Saudi Arabia—the Saudi government even issued an apology following the Greatest Royal Rumble after WWE accidentally aired an in-stadium promo featuring women—WWE is coincidentally airing WWE Evolution, its first-ever all-women's pay-per-view, on October 28.

Just five days before Crown Jewel.

In an interview with Tim Fiorvanti of ESPN, WWE Executive Vice President Triple H vehemently denied the cynical sentiment that WWE Evolution is a PR-driven response to Crown Jewel, saying:

Let's take the Saudi Arabia show off the table, and let's just say it never happened—would anybody question that they deserve this opportunity? To me, it's a ridiculous statement, the timing of it. You cannot effect change in a region that, culturally, is trying to change, you cannot help them affect that change without being there.

Triple H isn't wrong in insisting the women's division in WWE, its most talented women's division to date, deserves its shot. Still, WWE has built a reputation on being a calculated company that moves on strategy and at-times borders on vindictive. A recent example would be the odd timing of its efforts to move forward with CM Punk's trial days before his second fight at UFC 225.

Given the underwhelming promotion for WWE Evolution compared to Crown Jewel on go-home shows for Raw and SmackDown this week, the cynicism toward WWE might not be so unfounded. And to suggest that WWE Evolution being held days before Crown Jewel was simply a scheduling coincidence would be to deny WWE of quite possibly one of its greatest strengths.

Still, WWE's finely tuned publicity machine is not without its flaws. In this case, these flaws manifested themselves in greed as a remunerative deal that could be worth anywhere from $450 to $500 million was too tempting to avoid what was sure to be a heavily scrutinized partnership.

In the end, not only was the partnership scrutinized, frayed foreign relations between the United States and Saudi Arabia over freedom of the press have cast an even darker cloud over WWE's involvement in Vision 2030. And with nine years to go, it's difficult to imagine WWE being able to outrun its ubiquitous criticism long-term.

I've been a pro wrestling columnist and video blogger for a leading national sports website since 2010. I graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara with a major in business economics, an emphasis in accounting and a minor in sports management. As a lifelon...